History Main / LawOfInverseRecoil

** To the point that a major selling point for the [[CoolGun Locust SMG]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is how insignificant the recoil is.

* A somewhat questionable aversion occurs in ''Series/QuatermassII'', when an astronaut fires a submachine gun on an asteroid, and the recoil knocks him off the low gravity surface and out into space.

* Avoided in the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games. The rocket launchers have zero recoil, the cannon on the first game's tank will actually make you move back a couple feet and all guns have as realistic recoil as possible. A notable and severe exception is the [=M240B=] in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2 Modern Warfare 2]]'' - it's a 7.62mm medium machine gun that weighs 27 pounds empty. The recoil is severe to the point that the ideal firing position is from a tripod, and if the gunner doesn't have enough time he makes do with the built-in bipod. In the game, however, it has the ''least'' recoil of all the machine guns and can be fired easily from the shoulder - and as such, [[ArbitraryGunPower it is also the weakest of the game's machine guns, despite firing the largest bullet among them]]. The worst part is that they could have done that realistically by using the Mk. 48, a much lighter and smaller version that ''can'' be fired from the shoulder. It still has a hefty kick, though.

* All of the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' titles have featured appropriate recoil for small arms and especially shotguns, but pointedly ''not'' for rocket and grenade launchers, which kick hardest of all. ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' was the first to introduce muzzle climb on fully automatic weapons, which is realistic, but a good example of why its absence is usually considered an AcceptableBreakFromReality. Rocket Launchers still have a little more kick than they should from part 4 onward, but it's been toned down considerably.
* The remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' even notably has different levels of recoil depending on whether you're playing as Chris or Jill. Chris, being a veteran marksman, is able to fire the shotgun from the hip and fire the powerful .357 magnum under control, while Jill who is far less experienced with firearms can only fire the shotgun from the shoulder and stumbles back slightly every time she fires the magnum. This also makes a noticeable difference in gameplay as Chris's superior control over recoil lets him fire his weapons faster and with more accuracy, which somewhat helps close the gap between him and Jill in the original game.

* Done correctly in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'':

* In the climax of the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "Heavy Metal Queen", Spike fires his pistol several times in space, using the recoil to push himself back towards the spaceship to avoid being blown to smithereens. Lacking friction, each shot adds to his speed, which helps explain his rapid movement. Still -- it looks like a massive recoil.

* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', the Laevatein (the MidSeasonUpgrade to the Arbalest) is equipped with a giant gun called a demolition cannon; when in its Howitzer Mode, the recoil is so great that the Laevatein ''will'' be knocked off its feet unless the physics-defying Lambda Driver is active.

* In ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' all the weapons have realistic recoil, including handguns. The only reason that the girls can handle even large weapons, despite their own small size, is that they are [[RobotGirl cybernetically enhanced]].

* In ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'', the firearms that Akira handles are large, loud, and heavy. Because of this, the recoil throws his aim off at the beginning because of how unused to it he is. Alpha also has to warn him against trying to go GunsAkimbo, as the recoil would throw his aim off at best and tear his arms off at worst because of how scrawny he is. This is also why any hunter worth their salt will wear [[PoweredArmor augmented suits]] to help them handle the recoil more easily and allow them to wield more powerful weapons without injuring themselves.

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': Averted in the real-world segments; backstory for ''Phantom Bullet'' involves an elementary-age Shino Asada playing BadassBystander against an attempted bank robber. When she takes his gun and fires it at him, the recoil realistically sends the gun reeling back over her head.
* Played with in ''Teki wa Kaizoku''; the main character jerks his wrists whenever he fires his laser gun like it's recoiling even though laser weapons shouldn't, but immediately after we first see him fire it he's called on that and he admits that pretending his gun recoils is just a hobby of his. Sure enough, if you pay attention in future fight scenes he keeps doing it but nobody else does.

* Avoided in the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games. The rocket launchers have zero recoil, the cannon on the first game's tank will actually make you move back a couple feet and all guns have as realistic recoil as possible. A notable and severe exception is the [=M240B=] in VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2 - it's a 7.62mm medium machine gun that weighs 27 pounds empty. The recoil is severe to the point that the ideal firing position is from a tripod, and if the gunner doesn't have enough time he makes do with the built-in bipod. In the game, however, it has the ''least'' recoil of all the machine guns and can be fired easily from the shoulder - and as such, [[ArbitraryGunPower it is also the weakest of the game's machine guns, despite firing the largest bullet among them]]. The worst part is that they could have done that realistically by using the Mk. 48, a much lighter and smaller version that ''can'' be fired from the shoulder. It still has a hefty kick, though.

* The remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' even notably has different levels of recoil depending on whether you're playing as Chris or Jill. Chris, being a veteran marksman, is able to fire the shotgun from the hip and fire the powerful .357 magnum under control, while Jill who is far less experienced with firearms can only fire the shotgun from the shoulder and stumbles back slightly every time she fires the magnum. This also makes a noticeable difference in gameplay as Chris's superior control over recoil lets him fire his weapons faster and with more accuracy, which somewhat helps [[FakeBalance close the gap between he and Jill in the original game]].

* ''Film/HighHeelsAndLowLifes'': When Shannon, who has obviously never fired a gun before, attempts to shoot an automatic rifle, the recoil causes the barrel to rise uncontrollably, so that she not only completely misses her targets but by the end of the bust she is shooting the roof. And when she fire the underbarrel grenade launcher, the recoil knocks her backwards into a hedge.

* Tiffany Case, when prompted by Bond to fire a machine gun at the Baja California oil rig in ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''.

* Continuing JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs line, one [[RareGuns Desert Eagle .50]] + one lady who expected it to work like prop guns = [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFJjaj7pXsA something painful]]. The recoil of Desert Eagle itself is actually depending on the cartridge: when using standard .357 Magnum, the recoil is light [[HandCannon due to the sheer mass of the gun]]. But loading it with .50 AE or .44 Magnum/Cor-bon [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety without proper training]] equals limp wrist, which equals the Eagle soaring back and either over the shooter's shoulder (having slid out of their grip), or, in this case, into the shooter's face.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American-180 American-180]] has little to no recoil despite its very high rate of fire (1,200 rounds per minute), presumably because it uses .22 LR rounds.

* The realities behind this trope put the lie to that old practice of [[ShotAtDawn military firing squads]] loading blanks into one rifle, some rifles, or all but a single rifle. According to the legend, this is to make it easier on the riflemen tasked with the difficult job of executing a brother in arms, since none of them would know who actually fired the fatal shot. Sounds mighty poignant and poetic, but anyone who's ever fired a rifle in ''any'' military chambering will know that it's nonsense; the telltale thump from the live rounds would be a dead giveaway to whoever ended up shooting them, while the men who fired blanks would know right away from the lack of felt recoil. To be clear, this practice has been done in real life, but the intended reasoning behind it is rather moot.

* ''Manga/{{BLAME}}'': In the manga, not only does Killy's [[WaveMotionGun graviton beam emitter pistol]] produce recoil, but on the first occasion when he [[UpToEleven turned it up to full power]] the recoil was enough to break his arm.

** In one episode, a guy ends up fricasseeing himself by firing a bazooka from inside an extremely enclosed area.
** In another episode, ''Deep Freeze'', Natalia dislocated her shoulder after doing some shooting practice with a shotgun.

** A killer was identified because they weren't used to the recoil of the revolver they used, and left a nice long scrape of knuckle skin on the brick wall they were shooting from behind, as well as a nick on the top of the gun's frame where it hit the attractive concrete handrail at the top.
** Averted by Lindsay in another case where Mac has her fire a crossbow since she's the same size as one of the suspects. In spite of being a country girl from Montana, she's never fired one before and is excited to try. She handles it very well and wants to keep on doing it.

* ''[[VideoGame/LEGOAdaptationGame LEGO Batman]]'' avoids this, as several firearms cause recoil, and shooting things from a small ledge is not recommended. Whether the developers did this to be realistic or simply add more FakeDifficulty is up to the individual. This is probably done for stylistic reasons. ''LEGO Star Wars'' has ''blasters'' kick upwards or back from recoil. The recoil from a blaster, which is a plasma weapon, would logically be imperceptible.

* In an episode of ''Series/TheWestWing'', CJ Cregg's temporarily-assigned Secret Service agent takes her to a firing range. She aims, pulls the trigger... and falls on her ass. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJx3JeAzAH0 Watch it here.]] It's pretty hilarious, especially if you already know a bit about handguns. Doubly so for anyone who watches Series/{{NCIS}}, as her agent is the same actor who plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a Marine corps-trained sniper. Apparently Mark Harmon's characters are very good shots. They even go the extra distance and get the sound of the guns firing correct. Toby also falls on his ass in a later episode while skeet shooting.

* Averted ([[PlayedForLaughs in somewhat amusing fashion]]) in the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' fanfic ''FanFic/HeroesOfTheDesk''. Valla fires a very large [[MagneticWeapons sniper rifle]] while standing ([[WhatAnIdiot much to the chagrin of her minder]] who goes so far as to ''call in a medical team''). She gets blown across the room and lands painfully on her rear, resulting in a big bruise for her trouble.

* In a very dark case of this, [[http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=6121915 a gun enthusiast took his son, who was no older than eight years, to a firing range to fire a gun for the first time]], [[WhatAnIdiot where the kid was handed a full-automatic Micro-Uzi]]. His older son actually warned his father about it being too powerful, but the father said for the kid to shoot it anyways. So, he did, and while he was able to keep the gun from flying out of his hands, the recoil caused the boy's forearms to rotate back and face the gun toward his head without ceasing to fire. He died from a shot to the face.

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/ItsWalky'': [[http://itswalky.com/d/20000221.html "Get a smaller gun, Joyce."]]

* Continuing JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs line, one [[RareGuns Desert Eagle .50]] + one lady who expected it to work like prop guns = [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFJjaj7pXsA something painful]]. The recoil of Desert Eagle itself is actually depending on the cartridge: when using standard .357 Magnum, the recoil is light [[HandCannon due to the sheer mass of the gun]]. But loading it with .50 AE or .44 Magnum/Cor-bon [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety without proper training]] equals limp wrist, which equals the Eagle soaring back and either over the shooter's shoulder, or into the shooter's face.

* Continuing JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs line, one [[RareGuns Desert Eagle .50]] + one lady who expected it to work like prop guns = [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFJjaj7pXsA something painful]]. The recoil of Desert Eagle itself is actually depending on the cartridge: when using standard .357 Magnum, the recoil is light [[HandCannon due to the sheer mass of the gun]]. But loading it with .50 AE or .44 Magnum/Cor-bon [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety without proper training]] equals limp wrist, which equals the Eagle soaring back and into the shooter's face.

* This trope is taken quite literally with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oznjv7KbmsQ Halbek Device]], a special muzzle brake designed by the Rhodesians. It was so efficient at compensating for muzzle climb that it made their FAL rifles recoil downwards rather than upwards.

* The AA-12 automatic shotgun was specifically designed to absorb most of its own recoil[[note]]specifically, it's an open-bolt weapon using a variation of "advanced primer ignition", where the round is fired off as the bolt is still moving forward to chamber it, which negates some of the recoil[[/note]]. Given the amount of recoil a shotgun (especially a 12-gauge one) produces from only one shot, this was necessary to begin with just to make a fully-automatic one practical weapon, but it would be a welcome feature on any gun. See it in action [[http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/1-24-2014/qji3Zo.gif here]].

* The tank cannon in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' causes the vehicle to roll backward slightly if it is stationary when you fire. It's possible, when driving forwards, to rotate the cannon and fire repeatedly behind you, using it as a makeshift booster and accelerating the tank to huge speeds. It is possible to use the tanks recoil to make the tank ''fly'': turn it around, start firing while driving, go up an incline while constantly firing.

* Averted in ''[[VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney Blood Money]]'', all guns have recoil. His trusted .45 Silverballers can even be upgraded to full-automatic, and are then harder to control...add the "Akimbo" upgrade and say your good bye to your accuracy.

* Using any assault or battle rifle in ''VideoGame/KillingFloor'' when not playing as a Commando (a class that has a recoil reduction bonus) will tilt your aim a good thirty degrees upwards after even a moderate burst. Same for the Sharpshooter's weapons, particularly the M14 EBR and the M99.

* The Singaporean Ultimax 100 machine gun has very low recoil due to its implementation of the “constant recoil” system, in which the bolt carrier group does not impact the rear of the receiver. Instead, it stops moments before due to the opposing force of the return springs, reducing recoil greatly. Another weapon, the Knight’s Armament Light Assault Machine Gun (yes, that’s it’s real name) also makes use of the constant recoil principle and was designed by Eugene Stoner himself. Its recoil is so light that the weapon can even be fired like a pistol in full auto (see a demonstration [[https://youtu.be/6oGikDp22R8?t=151 here]]).

* In the Japanese film version of ''Hakaider'' (a DarkerAndEdgier story starring a villain from tokusatsu series ''Series/{{Kikaider}}''), the titular Android uses a custom shotgun that acts more like a handheld cannon. When a {{mook|s}} gets his hands on it and attempts to fire, the recoil literally (and gorily) tears his arm out of its socket.

* In the final chapter of ''Anime/MacrossPlus'', when struggling against Sharon Apple and other threats, Myung has the common sense to arm herself with the submachine gun of a fallen guard (by itself, quite a rare occurrence) but wastes almost the entire magazine when she tries to use it in full-auto, being overcome by recoil and spraying bullets everywhere. She gets a few shots in the right direction, however...
* Seras Victoria in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' notes after becoming a vampire that she barely feels the kick on a huge gun, demonstrating her new super strength. She later gets an even bigger gun and can fire it with ease. Although when she uses a huge (even by her standards) anti-aircraft gun, she still needs to have it brace itself against the ground to account for the fact that she lacks the sheer ''mass'' to avoid being knocked over by the recoil (The gun weighs several times more than she does - when ''unloaded'').

* In ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' all the weapons have realistic recoil, including handguns. The only reason that the girls can handle even large weapons, despite their own small size, is that they are [[RobotGirl cybernetically enhanced]].

* ''Manga/{{Dragonball}}'': In Goku's first tournament, Jackie Chun is knocked out of the ring, but he manages to get himself back into the ring before he touches the ground with the recoil from a Kamehameha. Goku learns from this, and at the next tournament, pulls off a similar trick to defeat Tien while he's busy taunting him about how he can fly and block his Kamehameha. And at the tournament after that, he uses a Kamehameha out of his feet to propel himself.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Negi uses the recoil from a magic arrow to avoid a blast by [[spoiler:his father]] during their fight in the Mahora Budokai.

*** According to [[http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Cowboy_Bebop IMFDB,]] Spike uses a Jericho 941 R chambered in 9x19mm. Assuming a +p+ load, that's a 7.45g projectile at 435m/s. Spike weighs, say, 80kg. Each round fired will accelerate Spike by (7.45g * 435m/s)/80,000g = 0.0405m/s. A full 15 rounds would give him a velocity of 0.6075m/s. Taking into account propellant gases at an alpha of 1.75 (no atmosphere), he should end up at just over 1m/s, or a relaxed walking pace.

* ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'':
** Batou's anti-tank rifle ([[{{BFG}} "Your standard issue big gun"]]) features a realistic recoil dampener (a device to temporarily store the kinetic energy and then slowly dissipate it, converting the sudden "kick" into more manageable "sliding" action).
** In the movie version, most characters are cyborgs, but a mook must brace himself before firing hypervelocity armour-piercing bullets from a submachine gun. Said armour-piercing bullets [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy effectively ruin the gun's accuracy]] ([[ExplosiveOverclocking and the gun itself]]), leaving him open to summary beatdown shortly afterwards.
* ''Anime/RocketGirls'': In episode 2, the protagonist, a lightly built teenage girl, is given a gun and told to practice firing on a shooting range. She doesn't expect the recoil and falls over backwards.

* Played with in ''Teki wa Kaizoku''; the main character jerks his wrists whenever he fires his laser gun like it's recoiling even though laser weapons shouldn't, but immediately after we first see him fire it he's called on that and he admits that pretending his gun recoils is just a hobby of his. Sure enough, if you pay attention in future fight scenes he keeps doing it but nobody else does.
* In ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', when [[InstantExpert Saito]] successfully uses the 'Staff of Destruction' [[spoiler:(really a rocket launcher that wound up in their world after a soldier from Earth had been transported there)]] without any recoil.

* In ''Manga/DesertPunk'', Kanta's preteen sidekick Kosuna complains almost literally that her small pistol is not cool enough to match her self-persona. Kanta then takes her to an arms dealer, who first forces her to go dig holes for several hours before allowing her to try out an assault rifle. While she exhibits accuracy that astonishes Kanta and the arms dealer, she brings the gun back admitting that firing it is physically punishing for a girl her size and that she'd be completely ineffective in combat with it.
* The manga adaptation of Creator/JamesPHogan's novel ''The Two Faces of Tomorrow'' has a scene where a SpaceMarine floating outside the space station in a spacesuit fires a particle beam rifle. Small thrusters on his jetpack fire to counter the weapon's recoil.

* Done correctly in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'':
** Mikoto's [[MagneticWeapons railgun]] is the obvious example. Due to the way she creates the magnetic rails literally out of thin air [[ShockAndAwe using her power]], there's nothing for the "gun" to recoil against; the energy from the shot merely blasts back against the air, which has the benefit of causing a nice big DramaticWind.
** Mugino's "Meltdowner" ([[EnergyWeapon basically a giant plasma beam]]) is not described in as much detail as Mikoto's railgun, but it is perfectly possible for a plasma weapon to fire with effectively no recoil. It is also possible to use it as a plasma rocket if necessary; she [[RecoilBoost uses this to survive a fall at one point]].
** Actually averted in the case of Seike, a member of Scavenger. She actually sustains massive recoil from the gun she fires, which she takes advantage of by reducing the friction below her feet to zero to propel her at high speed.
* ''Manga/CityHunter'' represents recoil correctly, with first time shooters failing miserably (and sometimes getting blown across the room) due the recoil of shooting a [[HandCannon .357 Magnum revolver]]. The only times it ''looks'' played straight is when it's {{Justified}} by the shooter being either Ryo or Mick Angel (who have [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower trained extensively enough]] to handle the recoil of a .357 Magnum of even a .44 Magnum ''Desert Eagle'' one-handed) or Umibozu (who is gigantic and strong enough to casually ''bend metal'', so firing a [[MoreDakka machine gun]] is easy for him).
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam'', during his fight with Packard, Shiro attempts to shoot Packard with [[AlphaStrike every single gun on his Gundam at once]]. While it makes a very impressive show of firepower, the combined kick of all the automatic weapons going off at once means none of the shots come even remotely close to hitting their target. Packard doesn't even bother dodging; as a more experienced soldier, he knew exactly how that stunt would turn out.

* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' has a grandpa in a wheelchair who shoots a shotgun several times in the book. The recoil always sends him rolling backwards into the nearest pond or something.

* Averted ([[PlayedForLaughs in somewhat amusing fashion]]) in the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' fanfic ''FanFic/HeroesOfTheDesk''. Valla fires a very large [[MagneticWeapons sniper rifle]] while standing ([[WhatAnIdiot much to the chagrin of her minder]] who goes so far as to ''call in a medical team''). She gets blown across the room and lands painfully on her rear, resulting in a big bruise for her trouble.
* Averted in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5670737/1/I-wouldn-t-exactly-call-that-sitting I Wouldn't Exactly Call That Sitting]]'' when [[LittleMissBadass Dawn]] uses a shotgun to kill a vampire, the recoil knocks her off her feet. [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander]] promptly gives her a pair of pistols and takes the shotgun for himself.
* ''[[Fanfic/TheNowakverse Under the Bridge]]'' has an interesting aversion: The "Gray Mouse" invented a weapon which she calls "Darned Nearly Recoilless Rifle". It uses .22 rimfire ammo (which, on rodents' scale, amounts to artillery), it is held like a bazooka, and "darned nearly recoilless" means that the remaining recoil would still knock the operator over.

* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', the midget member of Jack's crew charges out of a cellar wielding what looks to be a cannon over his arm. He shoots it and is blown right back into the cellar.
* ''Film/TrueLies'', when Creator/JamieLeeCurtis' character attempts to fire a MAC-10 at the terrorists -- and completely loses control of the weapon due to its recoil, sending it tumbling down a flight of stairs, [[ShurFineGuns firing by itself all the way down]]. Not only that, she actually killed a bunch of people in the process.
* ''Film/MenInBlack'' has an absurdly tiny gun called the Noisy Cricket. When Agent J fires it, the recoil tosses him into a car several parking spots behind his firing position. In [[WesternAnimation/MenInBlack the animated series]], J gets [[HollywoodSilencer a silencer of sorts]] that reduces the recoil.
* In ''Film/ToySoldiers'' when teenaged preppy Creator/WilWheaton picks up a full-auto AK and ''tries'' to blast the villains with it; about two bullets go in the right direction, the rest of the magazine goes into the ceiling. And he obviously would like to make the gun stop but can't.
* In ''Film/PoliceAcademy4CitizensOnPatrol'', Tackleberry lets one of the new recruits, an old lady, use his giant .44 Magnum. It sends her flying into the back wall of the shooting range.

* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''Film/TheTerminator'' (where Arnie fires shotguns and assault rifles one handed) by the fact that he is a cyborg. Except in later Arnie action movies (where he's playing a human) he kept on doing the same thing. It should be noted that Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, a gun enthusiast and former soldier in the Austrian military, has mentioned in interviews that he's [[RuleOfCool well aware of how unrealistic this is]].

* Tiffany Case, when prompted by Bond to fire a machine gun at the Baja California oil rig in ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''.
* ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'' has Billy firing a LAW rocket while holding it loosely in front of himself sideways as he reads the directions. "Extend here. Press here." click-Whoosh! It is correctly shown with very little recoil.
* Played straight most of the time in ''Film/TheATeam'', but there is one notable aversion when they use recoil to maneuver a parachuting tank ([[ItsALongStory long story]]).

* Similar to the ''Film/TrueLies'' example, during a gun battle in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash'', Dina picks up an automatic pistol, but ends up shooting in all directions due to recoil, but she took out most of the mooks until stopped by Bruno the robot which he takes care of the rest with his guns.
* ''Film/TheBeastOfWar'' averts this with the tank cannons. Whereas most films would show just smoke and flame spitting out the barrel, in this film they used [[http://www.warriorsinc.com/FilmThoughts.cfm?ProjectID=7 modified blanks that shot water equal to the weight of an actual round, creating a realistic recoil.]]
* In the Soviet film ''Film/ComeAndSee'' a German soldier armed with a flamethrower is seen being thrown back slightly every time he fires. This is TruthInTelevision - flamethrowers use very high pressure gasses to propel the fuel, and spray several pounds of fuel a second.
* The protagonist of ''Film/TheAxe'' hurts his shoulder when trying to shoot a handgun one-handed. Repeatedly.
* ''Film/MillersCrossing'': When a gangster with a tommy gun is fatally shot, his DeadMansTriggerFinger causes the gun to fire full auto and swing wildly from the recoil, spraying rounds into both the floor and ceiling.
* ''Film/AdAstra''. Even firing an [[RayGun energy weapon]] is shown to produce enough recoil to throw off the shooter when he's in zero gravity.

* In spite of being a largely comedic zombie film, ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDeadPartII'' includes a scene where the KidHero tries to blow away a brain eater with a revolver, only for the recoil to knock him on his ass and somehow knock the gun under a desk.

* In ''Literature/{{Cell}}'' when one of the protagonists [[spoiler:is fatally injured by hit-and-run hooligans]]. Another character had picked up an AKS-47 assault rifle from a gun enthusiast's house, but when he fires 'Sir Speedy' it empties most of the bullets into the air.
* There's a non-fiction book in which it's pointed out that ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' should have two spontaneously-dislocating shoulders due to the abuse they've taken from firing machine guns akimbo (he'd be deaf too, but that's [[SteelEardrums another trope entirely]]). The fact that [[CommonKnowledge Rambo never used Guns Akimbo in any of the films]] should not detract from the author's point.

* In Creator/DanielKeysMoran's "A.I. War", the as yet unpublished sequel to ''The Last Dancer'' (available [[http://www.kithrup.com/dkm/dkmfic/toons.html here]]), a bounty hunter shoots Trent with both barrels of a shotgun. Unfortunately for the bounty hunter, they happen to be on the surface of Ceres (one of the asteroids in our Asteroid Belt) at the time, which has an escape velocity of far less than the recoil of even one of the barrels of the gun. He is surprised to find himself flying off of Ceres in the direction of Earth at a few tens of meters per second.

* In Creator/PoulAnderson and Creator/GordonRDickson's first ''Literature/{{Hoka}}'' story, ''The Sheriff of Canyon Gulch'', Alexander Jones gets in trouble when he assumes that his skill with a laser pistol will translate into skill with a six-shooter. He's never experienced recoil before.
* Pointedly averted in the book ''Literature/PatriotGames'' Jack Ryan gets his hands on one of the terrorist's submachine guns and fires on them. Before firing he remembers his military training and aims with his target in the upper right part of the sight to account for the recoil and make sure that subsequent rounds will still be on target.
* In ''Literature/UnLunDun'' when Deeba first fires the unGun she falls over because of the recoil. She gets better at firing it later on, though.
* Justified in the ''VideoGame/{{StarCraft I}}'' novelization ''Liberty's Crusade''. Jim Raynor teaches protagonist Michael Liberty (a reporter) how to shoot a [[SpaceMarines Marine]] Gauss rifle while wearing PoweredArmor. Mike aims, then stops and asks Raynor how to handle the recoil. Raynor is impressed that he thought to ask, a couple {{redshirt}}s pass credits around, and Raynor explains that the suit compensates automatically.
* ''Year of the Dragon'' by Robert Daley. In the opening shootout, one of the Chinese gang members shoots off his own toes after being knocked over by the recoil of his full-auto shotgun.

* In an episode of ''Series/TheWestWing'', CJ Cregg's temporarily-assigned Secret Service agent takes her to a firing range. She aims, pulls the trigger... and falls on her ass. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJx3JeAzAH0 Watch it here.]] It's pretty hilarious, especially if you already know a bit about handguns. Doubly so for anyone who watches Series/{{NCIS}}, as her agent is the same actor who plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a Marine corps-trained sniper. Apparently Mark Harmon's characters are very good shots. They even go the extra distance and get the sound of the guns firing correct. Toby also falls on his ass in a later episode while skeet shooting.

* ''Series/TheYoungIndianaJonesChronicles'': Almost echoing a scene from ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', one episode has Young Indy in a hot air balloon with Remy and a captured German officer being chased by a squadron of fighter planes. Indy tries to fend them off with a machine gun, oblivious to warnings that the gun will "walk up" if he doesn't brace properly, and sure enough, the recoil sends the barrel pointing upwards and punching several nasty holes in the balloon. ("''That'' is walking up.")